"It means a lot," said Gloria Tate of Cape Coral's Raso Realty and a former city council member. "It lets people know that this is a good place to look. It shows that the city has cleaned up on the exterior with volunteers cleaning up and even the city is cleaning up. Besides, the real estate industry has recovered to some extent."

For the purpose of the ranking, mid-sized cities ranged from 128,000 to 205,000 in population (101st to 200th most populous cities). According to the blog, mid-sized cities are some of the very best untapped resources for people looking to move, expand their careers, further their children's education or simply a change of scenery.

"When people come into the agency looking for a place, there are three things that top the list of desire," said Tate. "They are looking for overall cleanliness, good schools and a safe community. Cape Coral tops the list in all this categories and you can add our waterfront environment and some of the best beaches in the area."

Some of the criteria the blog considered when ranking the cities included the number of homes for sale per capita; cost of living index; unemployment rate; median household income; crime rate and school quality.

Do polls really matter?

"People do see them," said Tate, who was aware of the poll results when contacted. "It's just like when Cape Coral made No. 1 on the most foreclosures list. People pay attention."

Tate said it's not unusual for clients to mention any number of polls when they are shopping to buy property here.

"One guy said it was cold up north and for $55,000 he could buy a property to live here for the winter," said Tate. "It's very exciting to show those people what's available and we have a great deal to offer."

The blog listed 50 cities and their ranking, and Cape Coral as having a population of 161,248. Using the rating criteria, Cape Coral ranked No. 1 in number of homes for sale; No. 25 in cost of living; No. 38 in unemployment; No. 52 in household income; No. 7 in crime rating; and No. 11 in quality education in order to arrive at its overall top five ranking.